Ice covered windshields and wipers create problems for vehicle operators. Manually clearing of a windshield and wipers is time consuming. Further, practicing extended vehicle warm-up to allow an interior defroster to de-ice a windshield wastes significant fuel and time. In addition, after initial windshield cleaning, inclement conditions often cause recurrence of windshield icing. Driving conditions and time considerations do not always allow stopping for windshield de-icing, but continued driving with reduced visibility is dangerous. What is needed is a heated windshield wiper which heats as near to the blade apex as is possible in order to place the heat near blade-to-windshield contact. Heating the apex of the blade also provides for blade flexibility during cold conditions in which wiper blades typically become stiff and non-conforming to windshield surfaces. Further, heating the blade near the blade-to-windshield contact frees a blade frozen to a windshield.
Windshield wiper components, especially motors and related gearing, often fail with wiper initiation when blades are frozen to a windshield. The present heated windshield wiper apparatus addresses wiper component failures caused by blades frozen to windshield by switching on such apparatus on shortly prior to turning on the wiper movements and providing heat to the windshield and blades. The present heated windshield wiper apparatus additionally combats windshield ice retention and accumulation by heating the blade proximal to the blade apex for transfer of heat to the windshield. Further, the present apparatus allows easy replacement of only the blade, rather than requiring the replacement of the entire windshield wiper unit, while retaining the full function of the apparatus.